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Factors Strengthening and Threatening the Security Functions of the Achaemenid Coins (559-330 BC)

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27 quarterly, No. 30| Winter 2021 DOI: 10.22034/jaco.2020.225997.1156 Persian translation of this paper entitled: عوامل تقویت و تهدید کارکردهای امنیتی سکه های دورۀ هخامنشیان )559-330ق.م( is also published in this issue of journal. Original Research Article Factors Strengthening and Threatening the Security Functions of the Achaemenid Coins (559-330 BC) Reza Ebadi Jamkhaneh*1, Sina Foroozesh2, Mohammad Farhadi3 1. Department of History, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. 2. Ph.D. in history, Department of History, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. 3. Ph.D. in history, Department of History, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. Received; 07/04/2020 accepted; 08/09/2020 available online; 01/01/2021 Abstract Coins are illustrative and credible sources of ancient times whose study can shed light on the darker parts of history. Coins had security, commercial, and media role in the past. The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that enhance and threaten the security functions of the Achaemenids period coins (559-330 BC) using a historical research method and a descriptive-analytical writing approach, library sources, and museum archives and documents. Trade and trading tools have always been one of the most important components of a society’s social life. The present study attempts to investigate this aspect of socio-economic history by proposing the hypothesis the political and economic factors can affect the Achaemenid coin security functions. The findings indicated that the Achaemenid coins have to be reinforced by Darius’s efforts to pay attention to economic (royal road), administrative (Divine Road), and political management practices (Satrapies). The threatening effects of the Achaemenid coins must also be found in the political, social, and economic mismanagement of Darius’s successors, such as the policy of gold coinage in the Peloponnesian Wars, the recruitment of mercenary soldiers, corruption of the court, the rise of the Satraps, and the increase in interest rates and taxes. Keywords: Coins; Achaemenids; Reinforcement; Threats; Security Functions. Introduction always been influenced by reinforcing Minting the coins had many religious, or threatening factors. Coins have long economic, and political functions and had been a symbol of ethnicity, sovereignty, * Corresponding Author: [email protected] +989112522719 28 quarterly, No. 30| Winter 2021 independence, and freedom. Another advantage of Feizi, Montashari & Mohammadi Loron (2017), minting the coins for people was that coins were Avarzamani (2001) and Malekzadeh Bayani (2009) a sign of the progress of civilization and paying have focused on Iranian coins and have written a attention to culture, that is, the people minting coins book titled “The History of coins”. However, none were certainly more advanced and civilized than of the above- mentioned studies and other research others. Coins were minted in more beautiful and conducted in this regard have investigated the artistic forms as the state of affairs became more security functions of Achaemenid-era coins. regular and governments became richer. Coin’s history and its functions in Iran date back to the Methodology Achaemenid period. Darius the Great (522-486 BC) This study is conducted using a library research was the first one who minted coins in Iran. He minted method and the data were collected by referring to both gold and silver coins, which came to be known the museum’s documents, books, existing literature, as the Daric which was a high-purity gold piece of inscriptions, and coins from the Achaemenid Empire. 8.41 grams, and Siglos or Shekel with 5.6 grams of silver. The front of the coin had the image of the Achaemenid-era coins king of the Achaemenid Empire armed with a bow Coins not only were a valuable trading instrument and arrow and on the back of the coin, there were but also had played a political, security function. some depressions. Coins of Darius III showed the The kings promoted a harmonious and one-sided archer holding a dagger. Coinage is minted during belief system in the society by placing their image as the Achaemenid Persian imperial period as needed, well as the images of religious, ritual, and political but when the war broke out, satraps and local rulers symbols on the coins. Achaemenid-era coins were received the lion’s share of the accumulated Persian characterized by the fact that only one side was royal treasury to mint the coins. The main question minted. The front face of the coins showed a figure of addressed in this paper is: what were the security the king, standing upright and holding a bow in one function of coins of the Achaemenid Persian period hand and an arrow, dagger, or spear in the other hand. and its strengthening and threatening factors? The back of the coins showed a bezel in irregular rectangular shape resulting from a tool minting the The Significance of the study coin. The Achaemenid Empire mostly minted gold The significance of this study refers to examining and silver coins. Achaemenid gold coins of daric the coins, especially their security function, with a (8.42 grams) and double daric (16.65 grams) were different approach to find new innovative points. minted (Gershevitch, 2006). During the Achaemenid Empire, royal coins, satrapies, or provinces were Research background minted with the king’s image in the conquered lands. The pre-Islamic coins received attention from many Darius I commonly known as Darius the Great historians and researchers of Iran. For example, introduced an identical currency for the Achaemenid Gershevitch was among those who attributed the Empire after 517 B.C. This currency was chosen minting of the coins in Iran to Cyrus Achaemenid based on the Achaemenid monetary system and King (Gershevitch, 2006) and also Babelon who was consisted of a new thick gold coin that had a standard the curator of the coins in Paris Museum, Pope in the weight of 8.4 g. Only the Royal Mint could mint the book titled “A Survey of Persian Art”, and Iranian gold. The grade of this gold was 3%, and this standard researchers including Dadvar & Makvandi (2012), was considered as the basis for the prevalence of gold Reza Ebadi Jamkhaneh, et al. 29 coins in world trade for several centuries (Babelon, led to an unprecedented concentration of power. It 2009). The most common medium of exchange was was considered one of the most important factors a silver coin weighing 5.6 grams equal to 1.20 gold contributing to economic growth. Besides, Darius’s coins in value. During the Achaemenid Empire, the economic policy and his efforts to build the road ratio of gold and silver with equal weights was 1: to facilitate rapid communication, introduce new 131.3. Precious metals that belonged to the treasury scales of weights and measures, spread the coins and were minted and converted into coins only with the an identical currency in the imperial diameter, and discretion from the emperor (Grantovskiĭ, 2010); control the government over economic affairs had (Table 1). exerted unprecedented effects on business. According to Ghirshman (1933), the growth of world trade led Reinforcing factors affecting the security to achieving higher living standards in Achaemenid function of Achaemenid-era coins Iran, and a standard of living in Babylon was The Achaemenid Empire ruled over West Asia and considerably higher than that in Greece (Ghirshman, prevented the rulers of this region from power, which 1993). Olmstead believed that rarely among the Table 1. The types of coins of the Achaemenid Empire. Source: Rezaei bagh bidi, 2012, 5 &6; Babylon, 2009, 8-26 . No The features of the Achaemenid coins The images of the coin 1 Torso of bearded archer wearing the crenelated crown and sleeved chiton. This archer holds the bow in his left hand and two arrows in his right hand. This image is found on only some Siglos. 2 The archer who had no pointed beard is depicted on coins. 3 Unlike the previous two images, the lower part of the sleeved chiton is not folded over the left knee but extends as a half-circle from the left knee to the right foot ankle. 4 Archer is in full-length view with the appearance similar to the type 1 Archer coin, holding quiver over his back, a bow in his left hand and a dagger in his right hand, and is in a kneeling or running position. 30 quarterly, No. 30| Winter 2021 ancient monarchs do we find rulers like Darius “who roads, establishing the organization of the eyes and so thoroughly understood that the prosperity of the ears of the king, minting coins by Great Satraps, nation must rest on a sound economic foundation”. adopting Darius I’s policy of religious tolerance, He also introduced a new weight, the “Karsha”, in bow and arrows and imperial crown exhibited on the the shape of a pyramidion for the standardization of coins, using the unit of weight and currency in trade, weights and measures (Olmstead, 2014). According permitting the internal independence of the satraps, to some historians, Darius I ordered the minting of paying the attention to water roads, providing darics in the middle of the first month of winter in 504 political and economic security and most importantly BC Egypt, and India used the gold coins or darics building the imperial roads. To maintain a connection and the difficulties in trade between the various ethnic between the various imperial cities and the capital groups and regions of Iran were resolved. The darics cities, Darius I built a network of roads that remained were minted by the king himself, but not the silver stable for a long time and was used primarily for coins.
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